Sunday February 3, 2013, 10:41 am
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What is BPA?
BPA

Bisphenol A, or BPA, is an industrial chemical used to make two common synthetics:

Polycarbonate, a clear, rigid, shatter-resistant plastic found in a wide variety of consumer products, including food and drink containers.
Epoxy resins, used in industrial adhesives and high-performance coatings. Epoxy coating lines most of the 131 billion food and beverage cans made in the U.S. annually.

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What are its health risks?
BPA

BPA is a synthetic estrogen that can disrupt the endocrine system, even in small amounts. It has been linked to a wide variety of ills, including infertility, breast and reproductive system cancer, obesity, diabetes, early puberty, behavioral changes in children and resistance to chemotherapy treatments.
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BPA reaches children beginning in the womb
BPA

Surveys by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have found BPA in the bodies of nearly every person over the age of 6. In 2009, the Environmental Working Group detected BPA in 9 of 10 cord blood samples. Most of this contamination is believed to come from food packaging. BPA molecules leach into foods and beverage from plastic food containers and the epoxy linings of metal cans.

In 2009, under pressure from consumers, major manufacturers of hard, clear baby bottles, sippy cups and sports water bottles voluntarily switched to other plastics. The federal Food and Drug Administration barred BPA in baby bottles and children's cups in June 2012.

The FDA still allows BPA in food cans. EWG advises consumers to limit their consumption of canned products not made by those few companies that use non-BPA can linings.

In 2007, EWG found BPA in 53 of 97 canned foods tested. In 2011, FDA tests of 78 popular canned foods found the chemical in 71, or 90 percent. BPA concentrations in different cans of the same food vary dramatically, so it's impossible to draw definitive conclusions. A few canned foods sometimes measure high in BPA – beans, green beans, green peas and chili. Others, mainly fruits and beverages, tend to have low concentrations of BPA.

In 2011, researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health determined that volunteers who ate a single serving of canned soup a day for five days had ten times the amount of BPA in their bodies as when they ate fresh soup daily. Campbell's and other major canned food makers are seeking alternatives but have not yet switched to BPA-free cans.
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How to limit your family's exposure to BPA
BPA

Completely eliminating contact with BPA is virtually impossible, but you can reduce your family's exposure to this chemical.
Canned food

Buy baby formula in plastic, glass or other non-metal containers. When possible, choose powdered formula because the packaging contains less BPA and because the powder is diluted with fresh water. If your baby needs liquid formula, look for brands sold in plastic or glass containers.
Limit your consumption of canned food, particularly if you are pregnant.
Look for canned food labeled as BPA-free or buy food packed in glass jars or waxed cardboard cartons. A few small companies sell cans lined with non-BPA alternatives

Hard plastic containers

Repurpose old baby bottles, cups, dishes and food containers marked with the letters "PC," for polycarbonate, or recycling label #7. Not all #7 products are polycarbonate, but they may be.

Do not microwave food in plastic containers.
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BPA in store receipts
BPA

EWG's tests of major retailers' store receipts, conducted in 2010, found that 40 percent were coated with BPA. The chemical can rub off on hands or food items. Some may be absorbed through the skin.
How to limit exposure to BPA in receipts

Say no to receipts when possible
Keep receipts in an envelope.
Never give a child a receipt to hold or play with.
Wash your hands before preparing and eating food after handling receipts.
Do not recycle receipts and other thermal paper. BPA residues will contaminate recycled paper.

Sunday February 3, 2013, 11:05 am
Noted

Sunday February 3, 2013, 11:14 am
on the fallacy of any 'lifestyle-approach' to avoiding (any) toxics, compare
recommended viewing: Annie's Toxic Relationship (2 min, utb) by storyofstuffproject

Sunday February 3, 2013, 10:08 pm
Noted.

Monday February 4, 2013, 3:29 am
noted, thanks for the article!

Monday February 4, 2013, 6:42 am
Frozen ready-meals are still often bought in plastic containers ready for microwaving, so isn't it time manufacturers used card containers always instead of only sometimes, or at least indicate in instructions for heating that the food should be placed on a microwaveable dish or plate before being heated in a microwave oven. Not everybody keeps updated with such hazards so wouldn't know they're being poisoned.

Monday February 4, 2013, 7:57 am

Thanks for ...

Monday February 4, 2013, 8:08 am
You are welcome Siti and Paul.
You cannot currently send a star to Sam because you have done so within the last week.

Monday February 4, 2013, 8:11 am
Noted, thanks for a great article.

Monday February 4, 2013, 8:29 am
You are welcome Autumn.

Monday February 4, 2013, 11:57 am
Thanks for this great share, just hearing more about this. Was looking at chili in the can the other day to have as something different in the home (always prefer fresh, but budget is a bit tight) but now after reading its one of the higher BPA products out there glad I didn't get it.

Monday February 4, 2013, 12:51 pm
cartoonist depict goats eatting tin cans (they may eat the paper wrapper off the cans, but most goats are more careful of what they actually eat). Since we humans are ingesting BPA products, the goats have the last laugh!

Monday February 4, 2013, 12:57 pm
You cannot currently send a star to Garnet Jenny because you have done so within the last week.

Monday February 4, 2013, 2:13 pm
Thanks so much for this great info, J.L. I put these warnings on the fridge so my whole family will be aware.

Monday February 4, 2013, 3:11 pm
You cannot currently send a star to Lois because you have done so within the last week.

Monday February 4, 2013, 3:42 pm
Noted

Monday February 4, 2013, 3:45 pm
Wouldn't you think someone in our large expansive govt would do something about BPA in food cans and also the chemical in cash register receipts. Yikes. I think it best to go back to eating root veggies (as they did in the Great Depression). KISS Keep it simple, silly.

Monday February 4, 2013, 5:33 pm
Grow your own greens. Look for containers that don't use BPA.

Monday February 4, 2013, 5:33 pm
Thanks J.L. Useful post, especially about the receipts.

Monday February 4, 2013, 8:22 pm
The first time I heard/read the canned soup vs. fresh soup was in a woman's magazine(Woman's Day). It stunned me. Up to that point I had only heard of the plastic water bottles being a source.

The difference between the two groups was exactly 1200% between the canned soup eaters and the homemade soup eaters.

Now I don't know what to do with my stockpile of canned bean for the "just in case" days.

I have, however puchased/had given to me lots of dried beans and peas.

All along this homemade approach is the best alternative. It is apparently true with all foods. I wish I knew these things when I was younger.

Monday February 4, 2013, 11:30 pm
Yes, Anne F., my shoebox size apartment, which is all I can afford, will certainly grow a lot of greens, don't you think? All kidding aside, I am noticing a few more jars on the store shelves, a good sign I'm hoping indicates more food companies will switch from cans to other containers. I don't buy a lot of cans, but I do buy some. I've heard that acidic food, such as tomatoes, would possibly leach out more of the BPA into the food, so I keep that in mind when I read the ingredient lists on the cans.

Tuesday February 5, 2013, 12:38 am
Noted, thanks.

Tuesday February 5, 2013, 7:39 am
You cannot currently send a star to june because you have done so within the last week.
You are welcome EJ.

Tuesday March 19, 2013, 3:37 am
noted, thanks, very usefull :)